“This is the reason the U.S. has the right to bear arms.” – Charles Timpano, High River resident “It’s just like Nazi Germany, just taking orders.” – anonymous High River resident “I find that absolutely incredible that they have the right to go into a person’s belongings out of their home.” – Brenda Lackey, High River resident

Today, the Calgary Herald reports that tensions are increasing at the police barricade outside of the flood-damaged town of High River as locked-out residents reject RCMP reasons for refusing to allow residents back into their homes. Adding to the outrage is a statement by the RCMP that they have confiscated a “substantial amount” of firearms taken from inside homes as residents fled. According to the Herald, the crowd flew into a rage as officers laid down a spike belt in the road to prevent people from busting through the barricade.

“What’s next? Tear gas?” shouted one resident.

Local police attempted to explain their intentions in taking firearms from the abandoned homes, but according to local journalists, these explanations were “quickly rejected.”

“We just want to make sure that all of those things are in a spot that we control, simply because of what they are,” said Sgt. Brian Topham.

“People have a significant amount of money invested in firearms … so we put them in a place that we control and that they’re safe.”

Many residents expressed frustration with the simple fact of the continuing enforced evacuation. “We don’t want our town to turn into another New Orleans,” said resident Jeff Langford. “The longer that the water stays in our houses the worse it’s going to be. We’ll either be bulldozing them or burning them down because we’ve got an incompetent government.” Indeed. Read more here.

7 Responses to RCMP Seizes Guns from Evacuated Town of High River, Alberta, Infuriating Locked-Out Residents

They can make all the excuses they like. THIS IS WRONG!!! Now they can register all the firearms they collected and find out who owns them, not to mention, confiscate any they want. What a bunch of BULL CUD!!! How is it that they are worried about the value and being stolen when they are the ones making sure no one enters the town?!

I liked the response of one resident when the officer told them it wasn’t safe. “C’mom! We’re adults!” Apparently not in the government’s view. If they’re worried about looting, isn’t that what the police are for? Can’t they patrol as people come back into town? What makes them think they need to go inventory people’s homes?

The firearms are already registered! That’s how they knew which houses to go to and what to look for. And…they already had the combination/keys to the required gun safes. IN THE INTEREST OF “PUBLIC SAFETY”!!
They didn’t go to every house in town just ‘browsing’ for guns. They already knew who had guns, what kind they had, where they were stored and how to get into the storage facility. They just had to follow the street maps to get what they wanted.

Yeah, those guns are safe. Handled with kid gloves I’ll bet. Besides no permission, there were no witnesses and I’m sure no detailed receipts (including serial # and condition). Don’t hold your breath on getting them back (and don’t be surprised at the banged-up and possible intentionally marked condition even if you do). Never evacuate if you aren’t allowed your weapons!